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> British Sausages cause hilarity in Europe. Honestly I don't really see why. Yeah the really cheap ones have a lower meat content than other countries tend to

by Nursie 4y ago

> British Sausages cause hilarity in Europe. Honestly I don't really see why. Yeah the really cheap ones have a lower meat content than other countries tend to use, but german bratwurst are often around 85%(ish) meat, and it's very easy to find British sausages which have that much or higher meat content. I think like many British food stereotypes, it's likely several decades past being factual, and probably has its roots in the post-war and post-rationing eras.

ggm 4y ago
I don't see why either. I like some cereal in my sausage, I think it adds to the texture, and moistness, and I like the mouth feel of a blend of ingredients, but the relative % of meat and non-meat, for legal compliance with "sausagehood" is at root the problem. More filler-and-binder than meat? thats wierd. But.. legal. Does it relate to rationing? I am sure it does. Remember the UK kept rationing to the 1950s and was not faring well postwar because the US cut off the taps, when the war ended. Rationing improved food quality for people on average, but there was a net decline in high quality inputs for a decade. I am told by Uruguayan friends that what we eat in Fray Bentos pies, would not be acceptable sold over the counter in Montevideo. But that said, they are immensely proud of the link to the british diet!
- Nursie 4y ago
  Fray Bentos! I haven't had one of those in... more years than I can remember. Puff pastry, processed sauce and ... lumps :) I've migrated to Australia (again) recently and the diet here is pretty British too. Fish and Chips everywhere, though with more interesting fish and calamari on all the menus. 'Servo' pies which are sold from gas stations and are about as bad as fish and chip shop pies in the UK. Sausages (well, 'snags') are a big thing here too, though the default meat seems to be beef. This includes my fix of real bad junk, which I used to indulge in a couple of times a year, usually when hungover, a McDonalds sausage McMuffin. It's just not the same when it's not cheap-ass over-salted pork... I don't mind some cereal in a sausage, but that said I really did get to like "Heck" and some of the other 97%+ brands.
  - martyvis 4y ago
    > I migrated to Australia (again) recently and the diet here is pretty British too I seriously think this misrepresents what most Aussie's put on their fork (or more likely their chopsticks). Go into any shopping mall food court, out of 20 offerings maybe 3 will be the McKFCKing chains, there will be a very multinational salad bar with a roast meat side, a juice bar, and then 2 or 3 Mediterranean style, a Mexican, and maybe 10 Asian (3 styles of Chinese, Thai, Viet, Korean, Sushi and a few fusion style). The final seafood will do your Pop's Fish and Chips but also a gazillion crustacea and molluscs. Supermarkets are full of international food sections, fruit and veges that just wouldn't be available 30 years ago. Definitely 50 years ago it was very much plain lamb chop and 3 veg, but anyone under 40 almost certainly will be eating very multiculturally.
    - Nursie 4y ago
      I'm not saying that's the complete picture, yes there's a great diversity of food here and heavy asian influences abound. However there is definitely a heavy British influence, I know of only four countries on the planet that have fish and chip shops distributed all over the place like this (and not purely for tourists): The UK, Ireland, NZ and Aus.
- poulsbohemian 4y ago
  I've got a friend in the UK who during covid decided to write a sort of allegory, sci-fy, children's story with heavy references to British culture - it's been one of the funniest things I've ever read. Anyway, in his story there is an "Isle of Fray Bentos" and he has a character named "Vesta Curry" so it makes me laugh to see it referenced here.
brnt 4y ago
When you're in a culinary competition with Germany, you know you've already lost. Kidding aside, don't think they're really known outside of Britain. You are probably bringing it up because at some point the EU objected to it being called a meat product because, at least then, a selection failed to meet the required (muscle) meat content (British sausages are very fatty). Precisely because words mean different things to different people, it is worth attempting to come up with a definition and then using it.

by Nursie 4y ago

ggm 4y ago

I don't see why either. I like some cereal in my sausage, I think it adds to the texture, and moistness, and I like the mouth feel of a blend of ingredients, but the relative % of meat and non-meat, for legal compliance with "sausagehood" is at root the problem. More filler-and-binder than meat? thats wierd. But.. legal. Does it relate to rationing? I am sure it does. Remember the UK kept rationing to the 1950s and was not faring well postwar because the US cut off the taps, when the war ended. Rationing improved food quality for people on average, but there was a net decline in high quality inputs for a decade. I am told by Uruguayan friends that what we eat in Fray Bentos pies, would not be acceptable sold over the counter in Montevideo. But that said, they are immensely proud of the link to the british diet!

Nursie 4y ago
Fray Bentos! I haven't had one of those in... more years than I can remember. Puff pastry, processed sauce and ... lumps :) I've migrated to Australia (again) recently and the diet here is pretty British too. Fish and Chips everywhere, though with more interesting fish and calamari on all the menus. 'Servo' pies which are sold from gas stations and are about as bad as fish and chip shop pies in the UK. Sausages (well, 'snags') are a big thing here too, though the default meat seems to be beef. This includes my fix of real bad junk, which I used to indulge in a couple of times a year, usually when hungover, a McDonalds sausage McMuffin. It's just not the same when it's not cheap-ass over-salted pork... I don't mind some cereal in a sausage, but that said I really did get to like "Heck" and some of the other 97%+ brands.
- martyvis 4y ago
  > I migrated to Australia (again) recently and the diet here is pretty British too I seriously think this misrepresents what most Aussie's put on their fork (or more likely their chopsticks). Go into any shopping mall food court, out of 20 offerings maybe 3 will be the McKFCKing chains, there will be a very multinational salad bar with a roast meat side, a juice bar, and then 2 or 3 Mediterranean style, a Mexican, and maybe 10 Asian (3 styles of Chinese, Thai, Viet, Korean, Sushi and a few fusion style). The final seafood will do your Pop's Fish and Chips but also a gazillion crustacea and molluscs. Supermarkets are full of international food sections, fruit and veges that just wouldn't be available 30 years ago. Definitely 50 years ago it was very much plain lamb chop and 3 veg, but anyone under 40 almost certainly will be eating very multiculturally.
  - Nursie 4y ago
    I'm not saying that's the complete picture, yes there's a great diversity of food here and heavy asian influences abound. However there is definitely a heavy British influence, I know of only four countries on the planet that have fish and chip shops distributed all over the place like this (and not purely for tourists): The UK, Ireland, NZ and Aus.
poulsbohemian 4y ago
I've got a friend in the UK who during covid decided to write a sort of allegory, sci-fy, children's story with heavy references to British culture - it's been one of the funniest things I've ever read. Anyway, in his story there is an "Isle of Fray Bentos" and he has a character named "Vesta Curry" so it makes me laugh to see it referenced here.

brnt 4y ago

When you're in a culinary competition with Germany, you know you've already lost. Kidding aside, don't think they're really known outside of Britain. You are probably bringing it up because at some point the EU objected to it being called a meat product because, at least then, a selection failed to meet the required (muscle) meat content (British sausages are very fatty). Precisely because words mean different things to different people, it is worth attempting to come up with a definition and then using it.